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Wastewater

A close-up of a typical
electroplating
operation in Florida.

An example of a pretreatment system designed to remove metals
prior to discharge to a publicly-owned domestic wastewater
facility in Florida.

Domestic
Wastewater
Pretreatment Program

The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection, in its role as approval authority, oversees the development and
implementation of local pretreatment programs in the state. These local pretreatment
programs are developed and implemented in accordance with
Chapter
62-625, Florida
Administrative Code (F.A.C.), § 403.0885, Florida Statutes (F.S.), and the Clean Water
Act (33 United States Code, § 1251 et seq.).

About
Pretreatment

Pretreatment is the
removal,
reduction, or alteration of pollutants in industrial wastewater prior to
discharge or introduction into a domestic wastewater
treatment facility (WWF). Metal finishing and related operations are a common source of
industrial wastewater in Florida which typically requires treatment prior to discharge to
a WWF.

When a
pretreatment program is required:

In general, a
pretreatment program may be required if a
publicly owned domestic wastewater facility (WWF) receives discharge from
Significant Industrial Users and the WWF discharges to either
surface waters of the State or various reuse systems in accordance with the requirements
of Chapter 62-610, F.A.C. There are currently around 65 active pretreatment programs with
more being developed every day.

The
goals of a pretreatment program:

To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the WWF that
will cause
interference with its operation;

To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the WWF that
will
pass through the
WWF, inadequately treated,
into waters of the State;

To provide protection for both public health and welfare and
WWF workers; and

To promote beneficial reuse and recycling of domestic
wastewater and residuals from WWFs.

For
additional information about pretreatment in Florida, please see the following links: